The European Aviation Safety Agency formally awarded approval for Garmin’s retrofit GFC 500 autopilot on Thursday at Aero Friedrichshafen 2019. The EASA nod follows U.S. FAA supplemental type certification more than a year ago and covers a range of Beechcraft, Cessna, Grumman, Piper, and Mooney light aircraft.
This approval was the culmination of a multi-year effort involving Garmin, EASA, and the FAA to find a certification basis to bring safety equipment to the market sooner, said Trevor Pegrum, manager, EMEA aviation sales and marketing for Garmin, adding the sign-offs are “an example of what can be achieved with open communication and cooperation.”
The GFC 500 is designed as a lightweight, lower-cost autopilot option for less-complex piston single-engine aircraft and pairs with Garmin’s G5 electronic flight instrument. It is combined with a number of safety-enhancing features, including Garmin’s Electronic Stability and Protection, underspeed protection, overspeed protection, level mode, and flight director, among others.
Prices vary by model, but for a Cessna 172 equipped with the G5, the GFC 500 is priced at $6,995, not including installation. Coupled with the G5, the price is suggested at less than $10,000. Garmin continues to work to expand the approved model list for the GFC 500.
Also at Aero Friedrichshafen, Garmin is conducting a datalink weather broadcast demonstration program using a ground-based Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) based at Friedrichshafen Airport (EDNY). While available in the U.S., Garmin is hoping to demonstrate the value of the technology in Germany and possibly other areas of Europe.
Garmin received the first license for the initial stations for a demonstration through the end of the year and has applied for a second station. The avionics manufacturer estimates that it would take 15 stations to cover all of Europe, Pegrum said, adding that Garmin is evaluating the business case for expansion and operation of such a program.
The station broadcasts weather information to aircraft equipped with certain Garmin ADS-B In products and displays that on Garmin avionics and portables. The weather information is being offered for free during the trial period.
The station broadcasts up to 50-nm away and can provide weather data within a 250-nm radius of Friedrichshafen. That data includes radar imagery, METARs, TAFs, lightning, icing, and winds aloft.